Family Not By Blood, But By Bond
by Sonic155
Summary: Leonardo is the polite, humble son of Hamato Yoshi and Tang Shen. And although he loved his parents, he couldn't help but feel a bit lonely. But that loneliness starts to fade when he meets new faces, and they eventually become part of the family. But after a game of hide n seek gone wrong, things start to become more interesting. The Hamato family are in for a ride, aren't they?
1. The Beginning Of It All

**Sooooooo... I had a chat with a few friends and they told me that I should go ahead and post the original. I decided to make a few changes so that way it would be a little less confusing. But of course, I couldn't have done this without Sunny Lighter. Thanks, dudette. I really appreciate it. Seriously, if you don't know who this author is, then here's my advice: Check her out because you won't regret it. Her story, Same Difference, has gotta be one of the best TMNT fanfics that I have ever read and I enjoyed each and every chapter there is to read. In fact, this story was inspired because of her. Anyway, before we start, here are a few things.**

 **1\. The guys are human... for now.**

 **2\. Karai isn't who you think she'll be...**

 **3\. There will be a few ocs, but I'll try to make them as unique and fun as I can.**

 **4\. Familiar faces from other incarnations shall make cameos... and some may even have a part in this story.**

 **5\. Their birthday is September 29th. I mean, that WAS their premiere date, wasn't it?**

 **Right. Moving on.**

 **Disclaimer: Last time I checked, my name wasn't Kevin... or Peter... and I'm pretty sure I'd know if I were working with Nickelodeon, so... these characters aren't mine.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 1- The Beginning Of It All**_

* * *

 _ **(Leo's pov...)**_

Breath in...

Breath out...

Breath in...

Breath o-

* * *

 _"What would happen if I ruptured the power cell?"_

 _"The whole place would go up with us in it!"_

 _..._

 _"Go!"_

* * *

I clenched my eyes tightly. Come on Leonardo, focus!

Breath in...

Breath out...

Breath i-

* * *

 _" **AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!** "_

 _"Get away from my brother!"_

 _..._

 _"Hurry Mikey!"_

* * *

Oh come on, really? Why couldn't you go away! My teeth gritted slightly in frustration.

Breath in...

Breath o-

* * *

 _"With the world at stake, the only importance is that you complete your mission..."_

 _"Yes sensei."_

 _"...No matter what you have to sacrifice... or who."_

 _..._

 _"Get out of here now!"_

 _..._

 _"Dude you can't do this!"_

 _..._

 _"Leonardo!"_

* * *

"Would you please stop!" I couldn't take this anymore. Why wouldn't they just disappear already? Permanently?

"Stop what, my son?"

Every part of me froze. I hadn't said that out loud, had I? Glancing up, I noticed my sensei staring at me in a curious manner. Well, that answered my question.

"Nothing, sensei." it was better if he didn't know of my problem. It would fade away sooner or later... I hope.

Sensei stared at me for a little longer, before he closed his eyes shut and began to pace with his arms folded behind his back. I inwardly groaned. That was the first sign for an upcoming lecture. He tread across the carpet gracefully, stroking his goatee as he did so. I sat crisscrossed, waiting for him to speak. But only, he didn't speak.

Without warning, he charged at me.

I yelped a little in surprise, and quickly deflected his staff with one of my katana blades. "Sensei? W-what are you doing?"

Instead of answering me, my teacher gave me a quick jab to my side. It was hard, but not to the point to cause any harm. It did throw me off guard, however.

"Ah! Sensei!"

In my moment of distraction, I didn't see the low sweep of a wooden stick until my back kissed the floor below. I groaned slightly. My landing was a little rough. Emphasis on little. I flinched lightly when there was a sudden pressure on my chest. I looked up, and noticed my current position.

Sensei had me pinned to the ground with his right foot on my chest. His emerald colored staff pointed right in my face. The expression on his face was unreadable at first... and then, a light smile dusted his lips. In the next moment, the staff was gone and a gentle hand waited for me to take it. I'm pretty sure I stared like an idiot.

"Wha- but you were- and I was- huh?"

Sensei chuckled.

"Do not act so surprised, my son. A simple test was in order." he crouched down and took my hand. Slowly, he pulled and helped me up until my feet were firmly on the ground once more. When I could stand on my own again, only one word formed in my mouth.

"Why?"

"Because," sensei started as he placed his staff on the ground, "you were distracted. In order to fight, one mustn't let their mind- how you would say- 'float in the clouds.' They must expect the unexpected, and in which this case, you failed to complete." he finished, stroking his goatee again.

I... failed? I lowered my head in slight shame. If I were completely focused, then I wouldn't have fallen so easily. "Sorry, Master Splinter."

I felt a warm hand on my shoulder, and when I looked up, my eyes met his warm brown ones.

He smiled. "Do not worry, Leonardo. It takes time and patience to master such a skill. You are still young."

Time and patience? I... I've worked on that since day one. Shouldn't... shouldn't I have mastered that at this point? I kept my thoughts to myself. I didn't want to sound rude and disrespectful. I gave him a weak smile instead. "Hai sensei."

Master Splinter's smile fell slightly. "Hmm, you are troubled, are you not?"

I sighed. I should've seen this coming. "Was it that obvious?" he nodded.

"Indeed. Your eyes cast a deep anxiousness. That, and your movements were a little slow during the test." I nodded. No matter how hard I tried, Splinter could always sense whenever I had a problem. Well, I guess that could happen to any teacher if their student was their child and they lived together for 8 years. Master Splinter walked towards the center of the room and sat. He gestured for me to come over, and I followed his order until I was seated next to him.

"Now tell me, Leonardo. What troubles you at this very moment?" he asked, glancing my way. Once again, I sighed. There was no way I was getting out of this.

"It... it was the flashes again, sensei." I quietly admitted. "They just keep coming... and they won't go away! I've had these random images and voices in my head since my 14th birthday. I'm turning 15 soon, Master Splinter. Why won't they fade away?" I felt the way I sounded. Hopeless. Were these.. 'visions' never going to disappear? This was the 8th time they've appeared, and it was only a Wednesday for Pete's sake!

Master Splinter hummed in thought. "This is very unsettling news indeed... especially since they've remained in your mind for almost a year now. But... I don't think this is a bad thing."

Not a bad thing? How were they not a bad thing? "I don't understand, sensei."

The teacher didn't speak for a minute. And then... "Leonardo... Do you remember last month's brief session of the Renaissance era? The artists? Michelangelo? Donatello? Raphael? Leonardo da Vin-? "

The room suddenly grew blurry, and I had to clench my mouth shut to keep myself from crying out. _Leonardo_. I don't know why but sometimes when I heard it, my vision would blur, and there would be a dizzying amount of pain. I knew what sensei was talking about, though. I remember that day. I was in the dojo practicing my katas when Master Splinter had wanted to review a short session of one of his favorite eras in history: The renaissance era. Let's just say... I blacked out after he mentioned Leonardo and a few other names one too many times. I only wish I knew why my own name would cause me so much pain when I merely thought about it? It didn't make any sense! A hand on my left shoulder brought me out of my thoughts.

I looked up to see Splinter's concerned eyes. He looked away for a second, and muttered something quietly in Japanese. I managed to hear it though.

"Tadashii yappari. (Just as I thought)" What did he mean by that?

"My son, perhaps it is best if you collected a little fresh air?" he suggested, after he checked my forehead. I smiled a little. Yeah. Maybe some fresh air would help clear my mind... even if New York didn't exactly have the most cleanest air.

"Sure sensei."

"That's excellent."

The new voice caused both Master Splinter and I to look towards the other side of the room. Leaning against the entrance to the dojo in a relaxed way was a woman in a grey turtleneck, thin khaki slacks, and a pair of black flats: in other words, my mother. I smiled.

"Mother, how was the first day at work?" I asked, standing to my feet. I offered a hand, and helped Master Splinter up as well.

She smiled. "It went well. I managed to serve 19 tables and get on the boss's good side on the first day. How great is that?"

"Amazing." I said, giving her a quick side hug. My mother was a waitress, and she was pretty good at her job. Okay, that was an understatement. She was awesome at her job. Before the move, she was one of the best waitresses back in our old city. Now, she's a waitress at a Japanese restaurant. I hope she can succeed here in New York too.

"That is wonderful, Shen." Sensei said, smiling softly. Mother beamed but it didn't last for long when her eyes landed on me. Her expression shifted to one of worry.

"But enough about me. I stepped in here a few minutes ago, and I couldn't help but overhear a little of the end of your conversation." her eyes darted to ground, and she chuckled a little nervously. "Um, I'm sorry for the little intrusion."

"You are fine, my love." Splinter said, lightly waving it off. "May you continue?"

"Oh, right." mother frowned when she looked my way. "Leonardo, honey.. are you alright?"

I nodded. "I'm fine, mother. I guess I'm just a little preoccupied with my thoughts."

She didn't look convinced, but she didn't press either. "Well, if you say so." Her expression brightened some. "I do think Yoshi is right, though. You should go outside. You haven't left the house publicly since we've moved. After all, you may never know what surprises may come your way."

I rose an eyebrow. Was she hinting that I may find something?

I shrugged it off with a nod. "Sure. I'll be back in a few hours."

Splinter smiled. "Very well. We will resume your training tonight. Good luck, my son."

"Thanks father." I returned his smile. Biologically, Master Splinter wasn't my father by blood. Neither was my mother. But that was a tale for another time.

I turned about to leave when..

"Oh, and don't forget to call every once in a while, okay?" Mother said, pointing towards her phone. I rolled my eyes, but smiled nonetheless.

"I won't."

One step was all I managed before..

"Don't talk to strangers!"

I groaned. Mother... I'm 14. I know that. "Yes mother."

This time I took two steps before I was interrupted again.

"Look both ways before crossing the street!"

"Mother! This is just like our old home. I should know!"

Mother sighed. "Alright. Have fun, Captain."

I smiled a little at my mother's childhood nickname for me. I gave a salute and left the dojo. Honestly, she could be such a mother hen. Sensei said I acted the same way sometimes, but that wasn't true... was it?

Oh, I guess you're a little confused, huh? Sorry. Moving to a new state can be a little disorienting. My name is Hamato Leonardo, and I'm the only child of Hamato Yoshi and Tang Shen... or so I thought. Who knew the day I finally decided to explore the city... would also be the start to gaining new additions to our small family?

* * *

 ***shakes hands for effect* Tadaaaaa! So? Any thoughts? There's not much to say except that I hope you enjoyed the 1st chapter. Again, I gotta give my thanks to Sunny Lighter for the help. Anyway, catch'a later, readers!**


	2. Alleyway Trouble

**Make way because chapter 2 has just arrived! I wanna say thanks again for helping me out, Sunny Lighter, and thanks to all who have reviewed. I'm glad you enjoyed the first chapter. After all, I like to keep a story interesting.**

 **Disclaimer: Unless I change my name to Kevin, or Peter... or Nickelodeon somehow hires me, please don't point any fingers my way. I don't own these amazing characters... except the Indigo Dragonairs. Those I _do_ own.**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 2- Alleyway Trouble_**

* * *

 ** _?'s pov..._**

Come oooooonnnnnn... _Come on!_

"Get back here, pipsqueak!"

 _Oh man_... they're catching up! I need to go faster!

"Just wait until I get my hands on 'im!"

That made me run even faster. I pushed random people out of my way. Sorry peeps but I need to move! Their footsteps grew louder as the minutes wore on. Couldn't these dudes accept my sorry and let it go?! Man, I wish these dudes hadn't broken my skateboard. If I had my board, then they'd be eating my dust right now.

"He's slowing down! Grab 'im!"

Darn it, they're right! I _am_ getting tired. But hey, wouldn't you be too after running like crazy for nearly 15 minutes? Legs, please don't fail me now!

My eyes darted everywhere as I tried to look for the best place to lose these guys. Wait a second... an alleyway's coming up! If there's a fire escape there, I can totally ditch these dudes!

With that resolve in mind, I put everything I had left into a final sprint. Thankfully, I sped up and turned the corner. Yes! I still might be able to make it back before lunch ended! Missing breakfast is one thing, but missing pizza? Heck no! That's not an option.

My positive thoughts went down the drain when a wall caused me to skid to a stop. Oh no... a dead end?! Why world?! Why?! Panicking a little, I let my eyes scan around the alley, looking for any possible escape routes.

Um, lets see...

Wall, ground, wall # 2, a dumpster, some wasted trash cans, wall #3, and... ooo! Was that a day old slice of pepperoni and anchovy pizza lying around? Score!

"Well, what do you know? Pipsqueak's made our job easier."

The color in my face drained... and slowly, I turned around.

Seven jocks blocked my only way to freedom. All of them were moving in like scary hungry wolves ready for the kill... and I was the completely and utterly defenseless poor deer.

Hold on! My nunchucks!

I was too busy running for my life that I completely forgot about them. Maybe if I could distract them long enough for me to get my chucks out, I could get out of here without a beating. I smiled a little. Whoa, I should pay attention to D's tutoring more often.

"Alright, runt. You wasted your nasty crap all over me, drenched my homework in chocolate milk, and made me drop my new i-phone in a bowl of soup! With all that's happened, I'd normally give someone like you the biggest beating of the year! ... _But_ , if you give us whatever money you have now, maybe we can forget each other's existence?" said the leader of the group, a huge dude with greasy brown hair and terrifying muscles, a smug little smirk on his lips.

My eyes widened. Whoa, seriously? If I gave away my lunch money, I'd be off the hook? Wait...No way. According to the victims of bullying, never trust a huge jock always surrounded by even nastier jocks. Besides, there was this vicious glint in the dude's eyes.

My eyes narrowed. "Sorry, dude. I don't have any money, and even if I did... there's no way in _shell_ I'd ever give it to you."

LeaderJock laughed. "Shell? Again with the stupid turtle talk. I guess you're a lot smarter than you look, though. Did you honestly believe for a second that I was going to let you off just like that?"

While he talked, I took this time to quietly slip my hand into my bag and grab my nunchucks. I made sure to keep my eyes glued to LeaderJock and his friends, so that way nobody would get suspicious. If I were to get caught now, it'd be game over, man.

"Hey, I said I was sorry!" I frowned. Seriously, how was I supposed to know I'd crash into a few college students after grinding some rails on my board? They shouldn't have stood there out in the open like that! Man, college kids were- what's a word D would use? Oh yeah. They were unpredictable. I'm glad I was only a freshman in high school. Growing up seemed scary.

"You think 'sorry' is gonna fix the damage you've done? Ha! Like hell it would!" LJ snarled viciously, after cracking his knuckles one last time. "Now... COME HERE YA LITTLE FREAK!"

He lunged at me like a total savage, but I didn't move from my spot. I gripped my nunchucks tighter. The dude wanted a fight, so he was gonna get one!

 _Come at me bro..._

It happened in less than a second. The red and black striped handle of my chuck smacked right in LJ's face with so much force, it was like a replay of Sakura slapping Naruto! But only, my nunchuck was Sakura's hand, and LJ' face was Naruto's face.

A pained cry left the jock as he backed away with his hands covering his face. I gulped a little. I hope I didn't hurt the dude too badly. His jock friends surrounded him by the next second, asking if he were okay.

Suddenly, the guy's head snapped up and he started to shout in one of the other dude's face. "Dumbass! Does it _look_ like I'm okay?!" After that, his face snapped in my direction, and I squeaked.

The dude had a funny bump starting to form around his left eye, which I think would become like a black eye or something later, and his nose looked off with blood starting to drip from it. Oh man, I was going to have nightmares for days!

"THAT'S IT, TURTLE FREAK! ITS JUST ME, YOU, AND MY PALS HERE! FORGET THE BEATING! I'MA SEND YA TO THE HOSPITAL WITH A BROKEN BODY WHEN I'M FINISHED WITH YA! MY BUDS CAN DO WHATEVER THE HELL THEY WANT AFTERWARDS!"

I was scared. Here I was with not hungry wolves, but crazy angry bulls who saw me as their red target! My nunchucks were already in bad condition. I don't think they could last long against these guys. And I wasn't the best fighter either. Where was Raph when you needed him?

"Not if I have anything to say about it."

Raph? I squinted my eyes a little, hoping I could see whoever it was who spoke. I knew it wasn't any of the jocks. They sounded too old. This voice sounded younger like me, but a little older. He sounded mature, and protective. And I don't know why, but I liked his voice. It made me feel safe.

Sadly, I couldn't see him and I don't think the jocks could either. My eyes widened at a thought. What if he was invisible! Like The Invisible Man! That would be so cool!

"Stop wimping out and show your face already, freak! I don't have all day!" LJ barked.

There was a short pause, and then...

"Well, if you insist."

A blue-colored converse stepped out of the shadows of the alley, and then another one followed. When whoever it was earlier stepped into the light, I had a clear view.

It was a teen around my age. He had black shaggy hair(but not too shaggy), these awesome deep blue eyes, normal-colored skin, wore a blue Space Heroes shirt (they still sold those?) with an unzipped white vest over it, and a pair of blue jeans. He looked at me, and our eyes met for a split second, before he turned back to the jocks with a disapproving stare.

The jocks stared for a few seconds, and then they burst into loud fits of laughter. The teen- I'll just call him Blue for now, because besides the vest, its all he's wearing- didn't look happy.

LJ coughed after laughing too hard. He took a few breaths. "Oh, look boys! A kid thinks he can play Mr. Superhero! Where's your spandex, Superman? In the Laundry Mat?"

Blue shook his head with a small sigh. "You know, you should never underestimate your opponent."

"O-opponent?" By now, they were all choking in laughter. It was creepy, really. And how could LJ still laugh and talk normal? Didn't the dude have like a broken nose?

After they _finally_ stopped laughing, LJ walked closer to Blue. I wanted to run out of here, but the rest of the dudes had me surrounded. LJ stopped, standing tall and mighty. He looked really intimidating, but Blue didn't look scared at all. Instead, his eyes narrowed when they landed on the jock.

LJ looked at him for a minute, before his fist suddenly struck out and grabbed Blue by the front of his shirt. LJ lifted him off the ground, and brought him to his face.

"Now listen here, ya wannabe, and listen good." the college student growled, and I winced in sympathy for Blue. He probably got a face full of bad breath. The jock's teeth weren't really white when we first met. "This little punk here needs a serious beating after the stunt he pulled earlier, and I'm willing to give him just that. And then, your little ass decides to come outta nowhere and _play hero_?! But that's okay. I can send two freshman to the hospital for the price of one! How do you feel about that, freak?"

Blue's eyes hardened even more. "How do I feel? I feel like you picked the wrong guy to piss off."

And without any warning, Blue's left foot connected with LJ's um... wow, the dude's going to be feeling that one for sure.

 ** _(Leo's pov...)_**

Even with my mother's words, I honestly wasn't expecting much.

Loud honking cars from the midday traffic? Yeah. Rude pedestrians shoving past each other in a hurry? Sure, why not? Witnessing a kid in a orange hoodie about to get the beating of a lifetime? ...Not so much. I'm sure no one would if they were in my shoes during the time.

But... why hadn't anyone shown up to help out? Did they not hear the commotion from the alley? Or were they indifferent to it all? I watched from the shadows of the alley, as seven guys surrounded the kid in a half circle, blocking out any means of escape. My eyes narrowed, and a frown etched it's way on my face. I couldn't just stand by and watch the poor teen get pummeled.

So, when the nastiest jock- who I assumed was the leader- took a threatening step towards Orange (I decided to call the kid that because of his hoodie and vans), I felt it was necessary to intervene before things escalated quickly.

After I revealed myself, (which led to 3 minutes of underestimating and nonstop laughter, much to my annoyance), the creeps finally calmed down. When the leader stopped, he marched over to me until he stood there, his height towering over my own.

He stared me down with a nasty glare, and in response, I glared back. His size was massive, I'll admit that, but I've taken on punching dummies more bigger and intimidating than him. I glanced the at his left hand. It was twitching, which meant he wanted to grab my shirt. A minute later, I was not disappointed. He lifted me off the ground with barely any effort, and brought my face to his. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Orange wince.

"Now listen here, ya wannabe, and listen good" the jock growled, his breath practically slipping into my nose. _Eeeeeeeeeeewwwwwww! Grrroooooooossss!_ His breath smelt like a horrible combination of pork, garlic, vanilla, maple syrup, and oysters! My eyes almost watered from the terrible smell! I wanted to gag, but I kept a poker face on. There was no need to make the situation worse, "This little punk here needs a serious beating after the stunt he pulled earlier, and I'm willing to give him just that. And then, your little ass decides to come outta nowhere and _play hero_?! But that's okay. I can send two freshman to the hospital for the price of one! How do you feel about that, freak?"

I rose an eye brow in an unimpressed manner. "How do I feel?" One sentence summarized how I felt about the whole situation. "I feel like you picked the wrong guy to piss off."

I didn't want to do this, but the best way to take your opponent on was with the element of surprise. So, yeah, when I decided to quickly swing my foot and smash it against the guy's... 'area,' he screamed so high, I'm sure a few pedestrians heard him from outside the alley. Tossing me into the air, he dropped to the ground with his hands between the legs. My reflexes quickly kicked in while in midair, and I landed safely on my feet.

Silence bled in the air as everyone's shocked stares headed my way. Even Orange was a little dumbfounded with his mouth open. The jocks' eyes switched from me... to the rocking mess on the ground... and then back to me... and then to him... and it continued like this for a while. This started to make me slightly uncomfortable. I never really did like too much attention. Finally, the leader sort of gathered his wits, and turned to his 'buddies'.

"Wh-what the fuck, you dumbasses?! Stop standing there like st-statues and give the freak a fuckin' beating! Hurry up or I'll give you an even bigger one later!"

That seemed to do the trick, because all of a sudden, everyone snapped out of their stupor. All of the jocks had similar angry and dangerous expressions on their faces as they slowly advanced towards me, Orange seemed to be all but forgotten at this point. With narrowed eyes, I stood my ground. I never really wanted a fight in the first place, but then again, Orange didn't deserve a harsh beating. Besides a little exercise didn't sound too bad at the moment.

"Ohohoho, you've got guts, kid. But you shouldn't have tangled with us." A guy with messy brown hair nasally said. He was missing a few teeth.

"Yeah! Do you know who we are?" An Asian guy gruffly asked, cracking his neck a little.

I rolled my eyes. I've seen this scenario in an episode of Space Heroes, and I already knew what was going to happen. I say no, they tell me, say some other nonsense, and then we fight. That simple. "No. Nor do I care."

"Tough, man. We're the Indigo Dragonairs! Junior branch of the Purple Dragons!" The blonde with the purple highlights from before, said rather proudly. I rose an eyebrow. Pokemon wannabes? These were my opponents? Seriously? Although, I have heard of The Purple Dragons, but I have yet to meet them. According to The News, they were a couple of street thugs. I didn't understand how the Police couldn't catch them. Sure, the authorities said they were dangerous, but observing their silhouettes... they didn't really look like an actual threat (okay, so maybe the big one did). I bet if I had my own team, we'd get rid of them and any other crime ten times faster and better than the police could ever hope to do.

I snorted. What a weird thought. I don't even have a team.

Unfortunately, one of the 'Dragonairs' mistaken my snort as laughter. He gritted his teeth angrily.

"You think that's funny? Wait til you wake up in a hospital bed, covered in black and blue bruises! We'll see who's laughing then!" With a loud cry, he flew forward, fist poised to strike. I naturally caught the fist, grunting as I did so. This guy had a good amount of upper body strength. The Dragonair widened his eyes for a second, before he narrowed them and swung his other fist for my face. I ducked, letting go of his fist, and quickly lowered myself to the ground. Swinging my leg, I swept it under the creep's legs.

The jock fell to the ground with a startled yelp, and I took the time to act. Before he could get back up, I reached over and tightly pinched a spot in his armpit. A pained shout erupted from inside his throat. I stood to my feet, brushing my jeans off, and after a few seconds, a low moan caught my attention.

The creep lied limp on the ground, trying to clutch his numbed arm without causing any more pain. Pressure points. They were useful when needed.

A frown made it's way on my face. That shout was awfully loud. If I didn't end this soon, unwanted attention would occur and people would probably get the wrong idea.

With that resolution in mind, I glared at the remaining jocks. Their eyes were glued on their fallen comrade. When they met my gaze, some of them didn't look nearly as confident as before.

"Come on, wimps! Are you _really_ gonna let a fuckin' freshman show you up!?" Says the guy who is _still_ on the ground. The rest of the guys looked at me, and one of them, the blonde with highlights, charged towards me with a baseball bat, yelling.

My feet moved and I charged back. When I was close enough, the Dragonair lifted his bat and made a swing for my head. Moving my body to the right, I dodged the weapon, and raced behind him. He turned around but I had already jumped. Swinging my foot, I performed a hard roundhouse kick to his head. Originally, I _was_ aiming for the back, but my foot connected with his face instead. Either way, when I landed on the ground, the big guy collapsed. When I caught my balance, I gave the downed jock's buddies a poisonous glare.

"Unless you want to end up in a similar way to your friends, you'll leave and never come back. Am I clear?" By the time I finished, most of the jocks were already rushing pass me and out of the alleyway. Only one remained, but he looked torn between joining the rest and helping his leader. Speaking of the leader, he was not happy.

"HEY! BRING YOUR ASSES BACK HERE AND FIGHT LIKE MEN! SOME SPACE NERD CAN'T SCARE US AWAY!"

"Really? Then how come this 'Space _Heroes'_ nerd kicked your butt and scared away your gang?" I said, advancing. The leader growled at me furiously.

"Ya think you're real tough, don't'cha kid? Well, just you wait, freak. This ain't over! When I'm all better, I'm coming after your ass!" he then turned his harsh glare on Orange. "And you're after 'im!"

Orange flinched.

"Rico! Help me up!" the last Dragonair hastily rushed to his aid, all the while staring at me like I was a hungry predator. When Rico helped the leader up, the bigger jock's arm draped around his shoulders, while the smaller jock supported his weight. With one last glare, both Dragonairs left the alley. Their 2 fallen members lied forgotten on the ground. I watched them walk until they turned the corner and disappeared from my sight.

Heaving a sigh, I shook my head. Great. New state and I already have enemies. I needed a marathon of Space Heroes and a long meditation when I returned home.

A few soft footsteps caused me to look over my shoulder.

Orange slowly approached me, a look of unease on his face. I fully turned around, and made sure to address him with a softer look than before.

"Are you-?" I didn't get the chance to finish, however, because out of nowhere, I found myself in a tight hug.

"THANK YOU!"

"WAA!"

"Dude, you totally saved my shell back there! I thought I was a goner with those huge bullies, but then you came out of the shadows like Raven and went Bruce Lee on their butts! It was so AWESOME!"

Wha? I glanced down with surprise... only to find that the kid's face had lightened up like an excited anime girl. Okay? I didn't know what to think, so I gave an awkward smile back.

"Uh... I guess it was."

" _Guess?!_ " Orange looked at me like I was crazy. Shouldn't that be me in his place, given how his attitude took a complete 180? "No way! Your skills were legendary!" a look of realization struck his face, and a smile broke across his lips. "Oh, that's right! I didn't introduce myself! I'm Michelangelo, but you can call me Mikey. What about you, dude?"

"Oh, um.." this was going a little differently than what I had imagined, "..I'm Leonardo."

"Leonardo...? Cool, you're the 4th person I know with a Renaissance name!" Just as I thought his smile couldn't get any brighter, it disappeared after a few seconds. "Uh... thanks again for the save, dude. Sorry you got yourself wrapped into this just for me. You'll probably leave me now that they're gone, right? No dudes harassing me, so what's the point in sticking around? Its okay if you do." he avoided eye contact, dipping his head low as he let his arms fall from the hug. Turning, he started to walk off. "Later dude. It was nice meeting you."

I watched him go with a frown. Poor guy. He sounded so happy just to meet me, but at the same time, he seemed afraid. Afraid I'd hate him for getting myself into this situation all because I decided to help him out. Did he even have any friends? I thought for a moment... Oh, what the heck? It wouldn't hurt to make a friend as long as I stayed here in New York.

"Wait."

Orange- no- Mikey stopped. But he didn't turn around. I started to walk down the alley until I was right behind him. Reaching forward, I placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. He flinched, but didn't say anything. Taking a little breath, I started.

"Now, why would I leave you? You seem like a nice person. And I wouldn't... mind if we were friends." I finished with a small smile. Mikey gasped, and he spun around.

"You really mean that?"

"Of course I do _OOO!_ "

Mikey's arms wrapped themselves around my body tighter than before, my arms pressed against my sides. You know, for someone his size, he sure does give a _mean_ bear hug.

"Thank you, bro! You're amazing!"

"Anytime... Mikey." I grunted out. Despite the uncomfortable hug, I smiled a little.

 _Maybe New York wouldn't be so bad._

* * *

 **So Leo found and befriended Mikey, and thus, the start of a beautiful brotherhood was born. And ...yeah, looking back on it now... The Indigo Dragonairs _do_ scream out Pokemon, don't they? That was totally unintentional, but *shrugs* oh well. What's done is done. I'll see if I can post the next chapter next Wednesday. Until then... seeya later!**


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